Coexisting with teenage vegetarians.

As some teenagers turn to vegetarianism, their families may have difficulty adjusting. With some planning and cooperation, though, parents can live happily with adolescents' dietary choices, maintains Judith Myers-Walls, associate professor of child development and family studies, Purdue University. She says there are three qualities of adolescents that could lead them to become vegetarians:

"First, adolescence is an important time to take up causes. Maybe the adolescents' cause is health or animal rights or world hunger, or they decide that vegetarianism is a good way to lose weight." Exploration is a second reason teens may try this diet. From ages eight to 19, children want to try on new personalities to see what feels right. "They may be exploring different identities, playing around with who they want to be." Another motive is independence. "They want to show that they can do things differently than their parents. It's a way to try out making their own decisions."

Whatever the reason, this sort of drastic change in diet can affect the entire family, not just the adolescent trying it. If one member needs a completely different menu at every meal, there can be conflicts. "Sometimes, the adolescent's decision causes the rest of the...